Gas-fired appliances that cycle on and off can have a pilot burner which provides a flame whose purpose is to light the main burner when there is a call for heat. Another purpose of the pilot burner is to provide a safety control mechanism which ensures that if the pilot flame is extinguished for any reason, then the supply of gas to the whole appliance is cut off.
Pilot burners for gas-fired appliances typically include a pilot burner tube which defines a flame opening at one end. At the opposite end of the pilot burner tube, there are structures which attach the pilot burner tube to a supply of gas such as a gas tube. The pilot burner tube is connected to the gas tube to make a gas-tight seal. In many devices, a ferrule and nut are used to make the gastight seal. However, in such a configuration, there are often two distinct seal areas and sometimes more than two seal areas where parts connect so that a seal is required to isolate the gas supply from the ambient atmosphere. In a common configuration, two distinct seal areas are located (1) between the burner tube and the ferrule, and (2) between the orifice and the ferrule. Very high temperatures are involved in the combustion chamber and the gas-tightness of the seal areas are areas of concern. Also, a reduction in the total number of parts and complexity of parts is desirable. Improved constructions for pilot burners are desired. In particular, improved constructions for pilot burners are desired that require fewer sealing junctures between parts, use fewer parts, and use parts that are easier to manufacture.